Music Theory In Worship

There are, of course, a near countless number of chord structures and variations, but we know in the realm of praise & worship music, there is a fairly small number of those chords that are regularly used. In this next installment of our Music Theory In Worship series, we will look at the basic structure of common chords and triads as well as inversions and best practices when choosing from different chord variations. This is an introduction to chords as we will go deeper in further installments of this series.

When you first learn how to read, you do not start with Lord Of The Flies. You start with the alphabet. You learn all about the foundational pieces that are used to form words. Then you learn how to put words together into sentences. Then you build paragraphs with multiple sentences of a common thought. You get the idea. Music follows that same line of thought. So, let's dig in to the foundational elements of music with the major scale and the circle of fifths.

One of the most important details to know about any song that you are playing or singing is what key it is in. However, many worship leaders and musicians brush by this little detail. We are going to not only look at WHY, but answer the question of HOW to determine the key of any song. Knowing the key puts you in a position of knowing what notes to play (or not play)... and what chords you will most likely be using. It is also important in the putting together of your worship set lists! Knowing the key is a foundation. A starting point... and it's important.

As a worship leader for over 20 years, I've experienced that the majority of worship leaders and church musicians fall very short in the area of music theory. Many know just enough about music and their instrument to fill a spot on the team, and sadly most of them have zero motivation to be anything more than what they are today. Of course, it's not a sin to lack a solid understanding of music theory. However, it's not right to just hack through... to just "get the job done", etc.